Also in this Section

To celebrate LGBT History Month, Mr Leake put on a screening of the film Pride, for staff and students in the drama studio on Tuesday, 6 March.

The film, Pride, which was released in 2014, is set in the 1980s during the Miners' strike, and looks at the creation of the annual Pride Festival. The developing partnership between the miners and the LGBT activists is something that is explored in the film, as well as the initial idea behind the festival as a form of protest against the prejudice that LGBT people experienced.

The film, which has a whole host of stars, including Imelda Staunton and Bill Nighy, followed the lives of a number of real-life characters. It depicted their experiences of being LGBT, and the involvement in the creation of the LGBT Pride movement, and the political activism that emerged around the strike.

One of these characters was Jonathan Blake, played by British actor Dominic West. Jonathan Blake was one of the very first people in Britain to be diagnosed as HIV Positive.

Following the film, Jonathan Blake spoke to the Pimlico Academy audience about the making of the film, the real events which the film depicted, and how the Pride festival became the huge celebration it is today. He also talked about his experiences of being a gay man in Britain, and of having HIV.

The event was one of many special events happening all the time at Pimlico Academy, to extend students' interest beyond their learning in the classroom. It was organised by the Social Sciences department at Pimlico Academy.